Persona 3 Portable: Memoirs of an Emperor
by FrizFr0z
Summary: On a fateful day, Hidetoshi Odagiri, a member of the Student Council, realizes that he has the ability to perceive the Dark Hour and summon a Persona. Written from Hidetoshi's perspective.
1. Chapter 1: Awakening

_"A man without position, honor, or education...What can he cling to as he struggles through life? Sincerity." - Hidetoshi Odagiri  
_

**Disclaimer:** All original materials from Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable belong to Atlus; no copyright infringement is intended.

**Some coarse language and strong violence is present in the story.**

* * *

**PERSONA 3 PORTABLE: MEMOIRS OF AN EMPEROR**

**PROLOGUE**

**

* * *

**

It was midnight, or rather, some time past midnight, though for some reason the gears of time had ceased revolving altogether. A sickly yellow moon shone brightly in the night sky; its light reflecting off the polished surfaces of the many mahogany coffins which were scattered all over the earth. Through the peculiar masks on their "faces", four indolent, black blob-like creatures stared warily at the newcomer. Though they had been on the offensive moments before, the demise of their fellow "blob" had changed things. A girl in Gekkoukan uniform stood in front of me, wielding the naginata that had slain the first black monster. Their amorphous bodies seemed to rise and fall in contemplation of this sudden threat.

"A-Arisato-san!" I stuttered.

"How many times must I remind you to just call me Hamuko-chan! I'm not some random new girl from another class whom you've never seen before, so please dispense with the formalities!" the girl snapped irritably. "Anyway, stay behind me, Odagiri-san, I can handle them from here," she continued more warmly. Gently but firmly, she tapped my left arm from behind her to stress her message while eying the four masked entities warily._ So here you are, instructing me to call you by your first name while you call me by my last_, I thought dryly._ Then again, this isn't the time to be arguing about this. Fine, you win. Whatever._

She considered for a moment, and then reached for something strapped onto her left thigh. My mouth fell dangerously open as she drew what appeared to be a gun from the thigh-holster under her skirt.

_W-W-What? Such… severe contraband in the possession of a student, flaunted with utter disregard for the school rules… in the full view of the leader of the Student Council Disciplinary Committee! But I-I guess I'll let this one pass without incident. J-just for now. Yeah._

Oddly enough, she cocked the gun and coolly placed it against her temple.

_Huh?_

"NONO WAIT-" I screamed, waving my hands wildly in persuasion.

"_Per-so-na."_

_

* * *

_**CHAPTER 1: AWAKENING**

* * *

My name is Hidetoshi Odagiri.

I am a student from Class 2-E of Gekkoukan high, and a proud member of the Student Council Disciplinary Committee. I live with my mother in a small but cozy apartment just across Iwatodai Strip Mall. Barely a ten minutes walk from my home, closer towards the opposite end of the Strip Mall, is Keisuke's home. He and I are best buds; we often walk home together after school, which is on a man-made island called the Tatsumi Port Island. Several blocks behind is the mysterious Iwatodai dorm, or, as me and Keisuke coin it, the Kirijo dorm, since it –and almost everything around this area- belongs to the Kirijo Corporation. Incidentally, the Student Council president just happens to be _the _daughter of the Chairman of the Kirijo enterprise. Swell, huh?

Let me tell you a little more about myself. If you happen to be a rule-bender, or someone who skips class every other day, watch out! I, Hidetoshi Odagiri, am not the kind of Disciplinary leader who would simply cut you some slack. Not that I especially enjoy reprimanding others (well, _maybe_ a little), but it is my supreme duty to live up to the high expectations that both my teachers and I have set for myself. I am a firm believer that in order to achieve satisfactory disciplinary standards, one has to rule– sorry, _enforce discipline_ with an iron fist. I just wish that everyone else in the Student Council would perform their responsibilities as seriously as I do. Half those jokers don't even turn up in the Council room these days.

I am but an ordinary student (and a hardworking one at that, mind you) who wishes to rise up the rungs of the student council's hierarchy ladder. That is, until something happened on the night of August the 14th which would change my life forever.

* * *

It was the summer holidays, but I chose to come back for Summer School. Though I had gotten first in class –rather unsurprisingly, being surrounded by a bunch of idiots for classmates- for my mid-terms, only students with the best performances would be selected for an interview to become the next Student Council president. Furthermore, holidays are such a waste of time; people spend them doing such fickle things like playing MMORPGS, _writing fanfics_, catching chick-flicks and the likes. At least they should watch some documentaries, or political commentaries, as I do. Keisuke said something about having to rush to school to develop some snapshots for his Photography Contest entry in the dark room, so I took the train to school alone, lounging in the delightful freedom of solitude which was always nice to have once in a while.

Tired of watching the same scenery which flew by every schoolday in the year, I fished into my bag for _"A Comprehensive Study of Ancient Greece – History, Mythology and Culture from the Neolithic era"_ which I had borrowed two days ago. History and Literature were my forte, making me one of Ekoda-sensei's favorite student, which was really something to speak of, seeing as he treats students like scum (as do I, but to a much more reasonable extent). Continuing from where I had left off the last time _("…And so __**Theseus**__ proceeded in the punishment of evil men, who underwent the same violence from him which they had inflicted upon others, justly suffering after the manner of their own injustice…"_) I barely had time to absorb the next paragraph before an infuriatingly loud voice filled the train.

"…and then WHAM! That Shadow exploded into a zillion pieces while the rest ran away with their tails between their arses before the amazing Jun-"

"Shhhh! Shut up, Stu-pei, everybody is looking at you!" a girl in a pink sweater and an impossibly short skirt shoved a textbook viciously into its owner's face.

"Mmmhrhgh…"

"And this textbook belongs to _you_! Ugh! You should _thank_ me for giving it back like _this_; if Mitsuru-senpai realizes that you've been going through your summer lessons without even opening your textbook-" the girl ranted on and on.

_Idiots. _

Suddenly, my attention deviated completely from my book to a girl sitting directly opposite my row. Not you Miss Short-Skirt, I bristled, –not that she didn't have sexy legs, but the fact that I even could _see_ them so _obviously_ meant that her skirt was _waaay_ too short for our school's standards- so if you could kindly shimmy towards one side so that I can get a better view… No, I was actually looking at the brown-haired, ponytailed lady with a pair of red headphones on her neck.

She was a petite girl with a penchant for sweet things, as evident from the packet of fruit jellies in her hand which she savored with a kind of innocent joy. Her little bob of hair bounced lightly with each sway of her slight shoulders that synced with the beat of her music. The barrettes on the left side of her hair were carefully arranged to form the figure of the Roman numeral "XXII". Deciding that she liked the tune which was playing, she tweaked the volume on the MP3 player which sat snugly in her slim, neatly crossed legs. Save for the faintly glistening line of moisturizer on her rosy lips, there was zero trace of makeup on her face. She was not excessively hot or sexy, and evidently determined not to be so. Yet there was something so irresistibly endearing about the way she carefully licked her fingers each time she slid a jelly into her mouth.

She was Hamuko Arisato, the girl next door in school and another Student Council member, and _damn_, she was cute as hell.

Apparently she must have caught me staring because she looked up and flashed me her trademark nymph-like smile. In an instant I jerked my head in another direction, albeit a little too forcefully, because I heard a loud crack and brought my hand up to my neck in agony. Slick move, Hidestoshi. Okay fine, I admit I sort of suck around girls, especially at one who giggled so bewitchingly at my failed attempts to escape her notice. What a perfect way to start the day.

_Chug chug…chug…chug…screeeech_! The monorail reached its destination, and I left the train in a small hurry, trying my best to avoid Hamuko's glances. Already I could see the stupid blue-capped/jacket miscreant from back in the train creeping behind a pair of female classmates to scare the living daylights out of them. I silently thanked god that he wasn't from my class. Walking in silence, I reached my classroom and looked around, mildly surprised. Fuuka Yamagishi was sitting at her desk, reading "Cooking Basics for Dummies" attentively while waiting for lessons to start. That was odd, considering that she did not turn up for much of the previous term, whereas now she was present for summer school when half the class was not.

The rest of the day passed without incident, and I decided to spend the time after school investigating the cigarette butt case while waiting for Keisuke's lessons to end. Some smartarse thought that smoking in school was cool and left his or her cigarette butt on the floor in the boy's restroom, and our PE teacher gave me the monumental task of finding the culprit. This I accepted with a certain eagerness, for I wanted to show the teacher my dependability and commitment to my role. Such opportunities would earn me the trust of the staff, notching me up another level in the contest for the next title of Student Council president! Already I was zealously searching for possible traces of cigarette ash on the floor, and my quest led me outside the female restroom. No matter how much I scanned the school, there was one place which I could not check, and this was it. But the thought of leaving a stone unturned seemed so– it was just not my style. Should I-

_BAM!_

"Ouch!" The door flew open and caught me directly on my nose, throwing me onto the floor. The surprised face of Hamuko Arisato flew from behind it into view.

_Ah come on! Of all people!_

"O-Odagiri-san! I-I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," I mumbled in mortification while clutching my nose, scrambling to my feet.

"No you're not!" she pouted as a trickle of blood flowed down from my nose onto my hand. Hanky, where's my hanky? I fumbled around my pocket for a moment before she reached forwards and gently pressed a fluffy pink handkerchief into my nose. "Here, take this."

"Uh, thank you, A-Arisato-san." I stammered as my ears flushed a brilliant red.

"Don't expect me to clean it for you, though! Pass it back to me tomorrow or after the summer break okay? And call me Ha-mu-ko, _Odagiri-san_, it's not like you don't know who I am!" She retorted while crossing her arms in annoyance. "What _were_ you doing outside a girl's toilet anyway?" she eyed me suspiciously.

(Personal motto: when caught in an embarrassing situation, respond curtly and with dignity) "_Hmph_. Being part of the Student Council Disciplinary Committee, it is my utmost duty to find the perpetrator of the cigarette butt incident. Life cannot exist without rules. Discipline cannot go unchecked. My search for more clues has left me here." I replied rather pompously.

"Outside a _girl's_ toilet?" she offered sarcastically.

"Well, it c-could have been a female student…" I squirmed a little.

There is this one thing I liked about Hamuko Arisato – she didn't probe further if she sensed the discomfort of the other party. And she knew me well enough to understand that I was being entirely serious about my Council responsibilities, too. Thankfully, she decided to throw me a lifeline.

"Always the Council Disciplinarian that I know, huh," she smirked and uncrossed her arms, placing them behind her hips while tracing the ground absently with her foot. Somehow she always looked so adorable when performing this action. "Well, I've gotta go, Yukari-chan is already waiting outside the gate. Don't forget the handkerchief! See ya around! Ta-ta!" She winked brightly, waved and disappeared around the corner. For a long moment I stared transfixed, blinking as she ran ahead. Something told me there was something mysterious about her beneath her perpetually cheery side which she was trying to hide, though I could not pinpoint what exactly it was.

I jumped as someone smacked me heavily on the shoulder. "H-Huh! Oh it's you, Keisuke." The friendly face of Keisuke Hiraga appeared as I turned around.

"Did I startle you? You look like you're in a daze or something." Keisuke quizzed. "Hey dude… your nose is bleeding!"

"Oh, er…that. Yeah I got that just now while trying to investigate cigarette butt case." I said while rubbing Hamuko's handkerchief against my nose.

"Did somebody hit you because you tried to accuse him?"

"No- er, yeah. Something like that." I hastily lied. No way was I telling him that I banged my nose because I stood face to face with the door of the female washroom!

"Hey wait a minute, whose handkerchief is that you are using?" Keisuke caught sight of the little piece of cloth which I had used to stem the nosebleed.

"Oh er…er that's mine. I-I bought it some time ago. _What_?" I stuttered as he relentlessly stared at the offending piece of fabric.

"Mmm? Something pink and fluffy with a heart and the letters "H-A-M-U-K-O" sewn onto it?" he pointed out evilly and grinned. _Oh snap, _I blushed. _What a lousy day today was turning out to be._

"Anyway, seriously, Hidetoshi-san, take a break from the cigarette incident once in a while. Cigarettes may be bad for your health, but so can seriousness be, too!" he laughed. Shy as he was to others who didn't know him personally, Keisuke was one of the few people who can bring a smile to my face any day. Maybe that is why we are such good friends together; we both have some slight… issues with social interaction, though I would never openly admit it.

"Hmm… what say you that we should go study together somewhere for the night? I could read up some of your notes for next year!" I asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Hey dude, relax! Its summer; you should be out enjoying the sun and catching movies and, you know. Aren't you smart enough already?"

"Says the person who got 2nd overall in the senior cohort," I blurted.

"Okay fine, whatever. Tell you what, Mum and Dad are going out for the night, but she prepared two sets of dinner, so you're welcome to come around whenever you like."

The hours flew by as we spent the night eating, studying, and occasionally watching a bit of television in Keisuke's living room.

_Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick._

_Dong. _

_

* * *

_

All of a sudden, the room went dark.

The glass that I was holding onto slips from my fingers and splinters into a million tiny fragments on the floor; the sound of the breaking glass magnified by an uncanny silence that seemed to stretch for miles across. It startled me, shaking me out of the deer-in-headlights reverie which the sudden blackout had caused. As my eyes became accustomed to the faint green glow around me, I saw a reddish substance spilling out from the remains of the glass and staining Keisuke's carpet. It looked suspiciously like _blood_. Checking myself to ensure that no part of me was its source, I caught a glimpse of the jug on the table. What was water in it just moments ago was now that same disgusting red liquid. Before I had enough time to wonder about the sudden change in the color of water, I sensed an ominous shadow looming from my 12-o'clock.

I turned around, and gave a most unmanly yelp which echoed across the silent hallway.

A _coffin_ stood in front of me.

In my panic, I stumbled backwards and instinctively stuck out my left hand to break the fall. A very real stab of pain shot up my left arm as my palm landed fully on the broken glass from moments before, erasing whatever notion that I had previously that this was all but a dream.

"OW SHIT- Keisuke! Keisuke are you there? What's going on! Where are you?" I shouted while fumbling for a tissue from the box on the table to stem the blood flow.

_Wait a minute, wasn't he behind me a minute before?_

I glanced at the coffin again and an eerie realization flitted across my mind.

_Holy shit._

"KEISUKE! Keisuke are you in there? ANSWER ME! Damn it, what the hell is going on?" I banged my uninjured fist against the coffin door, hoping against hope that he would emerge from the coffin and laugh it off as a joke…not that anyone _I_ know of would attempt to pull off such a tasteless prank (except maybe that guy with the blue cap from 2-F), much less the well-behaved model student Keisuke Hiraga. As I frantically ran my fingers along the coffin door in search for the opening, it suddenly dawned upon me that the lack of hinges could only mean one thing:_ There was no way for me to open it.  
_

Keisuke was trapped inside, and there was nothing I could do about it. It sickened me, adding on to my incredulity towards this whole crazy situation.

_Calm down Hidetoshi Odagiri_, I told myself. _People recognize you for your stern, unwavering composure, so ferchrissake get your act together and think. What should you do in this situation_? With a deep breath, I steeled myself together and bandaged my hand with Hamuko's handkerchief. _First, let's try getting some help from outside_, I thought as I tiptoed towards the door.

_Creeeak_! I gently closed Keisuke's main door and scurried into the corridor. In the darkness around me, I bumped into something before giving another start as I saw a second coffin sitting in front of the elevator. _This is getting seriously creepy here_. I pressed the elevator switch in vain before realizing that they are not supposed to work in an electrical outage. Cautiously, I crept down the stairs, careful not to fall in the near-zero visibility of the blackout.

Outsides, there was no electrical light. A coffin lay against a lamppost on my left; below it, a freshly discarded cigarette was still smoking on the floor. Two coffins stood on my right, side to side, resting against the wall of a fountain spewing blood. Above all, the moon glowed unnaturally powerfully in the night sky, showering the earth in a sickening shade of green. Was it just me, or was the moon five times bigger than before? I meandered my way slowly past the coffins along the Iwatodai Strip Mall with a growing sense of apprehension.

"Helloooooo!" I shouted.

_"...helloooo... helloooo... helloooo..."_

"Somebody! Anybody! Can anyone hear me! Is anyone alive?"

_"…alive… alive… alive…"_ Only the feeble echoes of my shouts replied in the dreary darkness of midnight.

I felt terribly alone.

_Not quite._

I looked up just in time to see five formless black blobs slithering towards me. In the middle of their… faces were peculiar-looking masks that could have blended in perfectly with the _Mardi Gras_. From their bulbous bodies there extended a pair of hands which were armed with some dangerous-looking claws._ ...the hell? Gotta get out of here. Quickly! _my mind screamed. As if aware of my thoughts, one glob in particular closed in quickly, cutting off my escape. Though its expression on the mask remained constantly vacant, I sensed the wicked anticipation oozing from it for having cornered its prey. Fearfully, I raised my right arm in defense as the black thing leapt right towards my face and-

_Swish! Splat. Splat._

-fell onto the floor in two separate halves. In the flash of an eye, the silver gleam of a naginata's blade whistled across the air and found that its aim was true. Foolishly, I gawked at the remains of the first blob-like assailant, which writhed violently before dissipating in a smoke of black and red. The cheerful face of a pretty brunette in Gekkoukan uniform greeted me with a nymph-like smile before turning towards the livid, hissing amorphous black beings.

"A-Arisato-san!" I stuttered.

"How many times must I remind you to just call me Hamuko-chan! I'm not some random new girl from another class whom you've never seen before, so please dispense with the formalities!" Hamuko snapped irritably. "Anyway, stay behind me, Odagiri-san, I can handle them from here," she continued more warmly. Gently but firmly, she tapped my left arm from behind her to stress her message while eying the remaining four masked entities warily._ So here you are, instructing me to call you by your first name while you call me by my last_, I thought dryly._ Then again, this isn't the time to be arguing about this. Fine, you win. Whatever._

She considered for a moment, and then reached for something strapped onto her left thigh. My mouth fell dangerously open as she drew what appeared to be a gun from the thigh-holster under her skirt.

_W-W-What? Such… severe contraband in the possession of a student, flaunted with utter disregard for the school rules… in the full view of the leader of the Student Council Disciplinary Committee! But I-I guess I'll let this one pass without incident. J-just for now. Yeah._

Oddly enough, she cocked the gun and coolly placed it against her temple.

_Huh?_

"NONO WAIT-" I screamed, waving my hands wildly in persuasion.

"_Per-so-na."_

_Bang!_ A swirling haze surrounded Hamuko, subsiding to reveal the hulking stature of a 2m-tall man in a white suit of armor with a white headband and a spear. A sudden gust of wind parted the long locks of black hair concealing his face, and for a split second I saw the unmistakable killing intent beneath his onyx eyes. For the second time of the night I found myself with my ass to the floor after having stumbled in fear. Ignoring my presence, the white spearman stepped in front of Hamuko and pointed his spear at the advancing black blobs, waiting purposefully.

"_Cu Chulainn, Mazionga!"_

Ominously, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck standing as a blue orb of energy began emerging on the tip of the white warrior's spear. A loud crackle could be heard as four blue bolts of electricity burst across the spear tip and slammed relentlessly into the four enemies. With a wretched, otherworldly cry, the masked blobs began to dissolve into nothingness while the white guardian also began to fade.

For a moment I simply stood open-mouthed at the absurd one-sided battle that I had just witnessed, and then gave a sigh of utmost relief. Gingerly picking myself up from the ground, I swept the dust off my jacket, trying my best to look nonchalant in front of the cute girl who had just saved my life... but _damn,_ my voice just _had _to betray my fear and astonishment.

"Um, well, that was uh, e-electrifying. Right." I nodded solemnly in an attempt to brush off how lame that had sounded. _–seriously, Hidetoshi Odagiri? What the heck was _that_ for?_ "Anyway, t-thank god for that… no I mean, uh, thank _you_, Hamuko -but can you tell me what the _hell_ is going on here? And what was… how did you… who-"

In my fluster I failed to see her snicker suddenly disappearing into an expression of utmost alarm when she saw what was behind me.

"LOOK OUT!"

Without warning, she flung herself onto me, causing me to (again) collapse unceremoniously on the floor. A split second later, a massive fist the size of a human child whizzed across our heads, pulverizing the pavement barely a feet away from us. As I gaped at the sight of the crater formed in the ground, a metal chain followed through, lashing violently across Hamuko's back as her body shielded me from the blow!

"…H-HAMUKO!"

"Mnnhh!-" Hamuko exclaimed in pain. A splash of blood fell onto my face, trickling slowly down my cheek. It felt awfully warm. Before I could react further, a hairy hand grabbed and flung her ten feet across the street, causing her to crash into a row of bicycles parked in front of the mall. Though she clung on to her naginata before she was tossed effortlessly away, the silver gun slipped out from her grasp and landed neatly beside my right hand. Satisfied that the greater threat was for the moment out of contention, I watched in abject horror as the enormous beast turned around to face its weaker prey.

I have read about great beasts in Greek mythology, but never in my sane mind could I have ever imagined that such monstrosities exist anywhere other than in our textbooks. Over 10-feet tall, with the body of a giant humanoid and the head of a bull, the Minotaur that hunkered above me was an abomination that inspired pure, unadulterated terror. The only discernible exception to the textbook description of this beast was the almost-comical mask that obscured its face. Yet this unusual appendage did nothing to alleviate my fears, for my attention was focused on its colossal arms, the powerful rusting chain attached to them, and the pair of horns on its head _the size of my entire right arm_. With a great bellow, the monster began advancing to me slowly, mockingly, almost reveling in my fear which kept me petrified to the earth.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

Too afraid to move, let alone get away, I could only squeeze my eyes firmly shut as the Minotaur raised its huge fist for one final, crushing blow.

_Thud._

A pebble the size of a grapefruit flew and smacked into the back of the beast's head, ricocheting off its tough leather hide. Seemingly oblivious to the blow that would have knocked out a grown man, the creature nonetheless heard the words that followed after, and lumbered towards its source.

"Your… opponent is…_ me_."

Pain evident in her voice, Hamuko struggled to stand up while leaning heavily on the naginata. Despite her wounds, she forced herself into a battle-ready stance; her fiery red eyes gleaming with determination. The barrettes in her hair had loosened, and her brown tresses flew freely with the wind. In the eerie green glow of the moonlight, I saw the silhouette of a beautiful, dangerous, modern Jeanne D'Arc poised for combat, and wondered how long she had been living in this crazy world of blood, coffins and creatures from our wildest dreams.

"Odagiri-san… get the hell out of here… while you still can! I… should be able to buy enough time for... you to take shelter in… one of the stores!" she shouted urgently through labored breaths. The sound of my name galvanized me into action, and I broke into a run for the nearest circular stairway.

Sensing the sudden movement, the Minotaur bounded eagerly towards the stairway with astonishing speed. I leapt clear just in time as the behemoth made a ferocious swipe at the staircase, the impact of which jarred the metal stairs so forcefully that it _broke out of its foundations_ and fell with an ear-splitting clang onto terra firma!

_Holy shittttt! That was too close- "_Aargh!"

I felt a searing pain as the metal chain whipped across and caught my right heel, causing me to hit the dirt. A glint of silver spun out of my right hand to stop several feet away, and I realized what I had been holding onto that I had forgotten the whole time.

_A gun!_

Strangely, the blow I was expecting did not come. Instead, the gargantuan creature roared in pain, a matte of dark blood staining the fur on one of its legs, courtesy of a valiant slash from Hamuko's naginata. She swiftly ducked onto the floor to dodge the first fist of retaliation; rolling towards one side as the second punch shattered the tiles on the road, kicking up a cloud of dust in its wake.

"Hiyaaaaaa…!" With the lithe grace of a dancer, Hamuko launched herself from the ground and deftly sliced her naginata across from the chest to the chin of the hunched beast, causing flecks of blood to fall onto the floor. Not all of it was the great beast's; the effort had cost Hamuko dearly, and to my horror she suddenly crumpled onto the ground, panting, biting back the tears that welled up from the excruciating pain in her back.

My initial ecstasy at this small victory became dread as I realized that the strikes from the naginata did nothing beyond inflicting flesh wounds against the hide of the creature, presumably as thick as a rhinoceros's. _So beautiful, so fragile,_ I thought as I saw Hamuko struggling to get back onto her feet. _What kind of man am I, to just leave her alone against the wrath of this seemingly unstoppable freak of nature while I run for my life? _A surge of courage overcame my sense of self-preservation as I dashed forward and snatched the gun from the floor.

"GET BACK HERE you big fat son-of-a-_bitch_; pick on somebody _your own size_!" I yelled and raised the gun towards the back of the head of the monster.

_Click._

_Click. Click._

Nothing happened.

Ignoring my taunts, with its rage focused on the aggressor, the Minotaur pummeled angrily at the wounded girl. She raised her naginata in defense, but the force of the blow caused the weapon to splinter into three pieces, wasted. The standard follow-through of the metal chain lashed outwards, hitting the girl on her left shoulder, flinging her to the ground.

With a vicious finality, the Minotaur grunted like a mad bull before lowering its horns towards that pesky little fly, and then jutted its head cruelly forwards.

_NOOOOOOO! OH _FUCK_!_

_Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. _I pulled against the trigger repeatedly, lamely, as the gruesome spectacle unfolded before my horrified eyes.

"AAHHHH…uhhhh…-" A torrent of blood spurted violently as the biggest horn that I have ever seen gored its way brutally through Hamuko's stomach. Her eyes widened momentarily in shock before her body sagged completely as the Minotaur flicked her from its horn some distance away; she flew and slammed against the wall above the takoyaki stand. Several streaks of blood smeared against the "Octopia" sign, staining the face of the cute black octopus that perpetually beckoned its customers to eat. The girl dropped onto the ground, rolled three times, and became deathly still.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER 1  
**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hurray, so here's the first chapter of my first piece of work! It doesn't feel quite like how I wanted it to be, partly because I don't have a complete idea of who Hidetoshi Odagiri really is. I'm not really good at writing emotionally appealing pieces heh. Anyway I'll try my best to flesh him out more vividly in subsequent chapters, and the personalities of his (future) friends as well. For now I have a rough idea on how the story begins and ends, but now I need to think of how to build up on the middle such that it ties in with the final chapter.

This being my first story, I am kind of unfamiliar with the rating system here, so could anyone tell me if this should fall under a 'T' or an 'M'?

I tried (very hard) to abstain from making Hidetoshi use the f-expletive, being the leader of the _Disciplinary Committee_. Then again anyone who wouldn't say it after seeing what he just saw is either (i) a liar (ii) a mute (iii) a saint (iv) Aigis

"_Um… cliffhanger! Yay! No wait…_

_OMFG WTF DID YOU DO TO POOR HAMUKO YOU F^&%$#&!"_

Oh I'm so, so sorry for making Hamuko go through all that! I just wanted to come up with something different from the other entries that popped up. I daresay some people will want to stop reading after all that violence and such. Oh well, go ahead and turn up your spiffy noses if you have an aversion towards violence! but Hamuko won't die. Oh snap, I spoiled it. Shit!

Anyway I started Chapter 2 at the same time as Chapter 1, though I stopped halfway to think about a better introduction to the latter, so it should come up pretty soon. I hope you've enjoyed reading so far! I'm quite unfamiliar with Japanese honorifics so please shoot away if you find any mistakes! It's my first story so there's definitely room for improvement, so here's hoping that you can all help me point out my shortcomings if you happen to drop a review :)

* * *

**TRIVIA:**

-Hidetoshi's S-Link is the Emperor Arcana, which symbolizes _authority, rigidity, discipline, egocentrism_ and _experience_.


	2. Chapter 2: An Ancient King

"_Within the labyrinth's depths the Minotaur,  
Slain by the sword she gave, lay stark and dead,  
And with his finger following her thread  
He issued forth to see the heavens once more.  
Then Theseus swiftly from the hated shore  
With Ariadne on his bosom fled,  
Still hearing, as toward Naxos on they sped,  
King Minos' cries above the ocean's roar."_

**Disclaimer:** If I were Atlus, Hidetoshi would kick ass. Period.

**Some coarse language and violence is present in the text.**

**

* * *

**

**PERSONA 3: MEMOIRS OF AN EMPEROR**

**CHAPTER 2: AN ANCIENT KING**

**

* * *

**

_OH SHIT! SHIT SHIT SHIT! This cannot be happening! _"HAMUKOOO!"An unshakeable rage began to smolder in me as the image of how she defeated the black blobs flashed across my mind with a sudden clarity. _Screw it! _Without any falter I brought the gun to my head, pulling the trigger while screaming almost incoherently-

"FUCK YOU! FUUUUUCK YOU! PERSOONNNAAAA!"

_Bang!_

A queerest of sensations took place as a part of me felt wrenched from my body in a sudden burst of light. Bizarrely, I became calmer, more composed, albeit with the same twinge of white fury raging in the back of my mind. As I lowered my left arm which I used to shield myself from the blinding light, I saw a mighty warrior, taller than the one which Hamuko had summoned, coming into being. Garbed in a golden chestplate and a battle kilt, with a golden laurel sitting atop its crown, the warrior stood in stark contrast to the dreary darkness of the night. It could have passed as an oversized human had there not have been the flickering white flame that was its head. Two yellow streaks of fire blazed continuously where its eyes should have been. In one arm it held a shield the size of a piano; in the other shone a gleaming, golden sword.

**_Thou art I... And I art thou... From the sea of thy soul, I cometh. I am __Theseus__, King of Attica._**

Reeling backwards from the fleeting brightness that radiated across the street, the Minotaur hesitated, shook its head, and then readied itself with a snort. It lowered its head and charged towards the smaller human, intending to impale another victim once more.

Somewhat unconsciously, I began speaking in an alien language I did not know.

"_TETRAKARN!"_

A shimmering spherical barrier materialized around me as the herculean summon raised its shield in compliance. _Boom boom boom! _The earth shuddered as the Minotaur charged towards me; beads of sweat were beginning to form on my brow even though it was the dead of the night. For some groundless reason I decided to take my chances with the flimsy-looking barrier and stood my ground.

With an ear-splitting _BOOM!_ the barrier exploded outwards on contact with the Minotaur's horns, hurling it backwards, dazed. A smug smile curled on my face as I advanced forwards, shouting the next command with a newfound confidence.

"_GARULA!"_

The dry leaves on the ground fluttered forebodingly before they lifted and flapped gracefully in the wind. A great spell of wind suddenly jetted from the floor beneath the beast, knocking it off its feet. It tumbled down a small flight of stairs and smashed loudly into the glass window of the "Bookworms" bookstore, causing a brilliant shower of glass to rain down upon its hapless head.

"_POWER SLASH!"_

A funnel of energy began growing on Theseus's blade, steadily growing in force until it glowed white-hot. Swinging its sword in a cross, I heard the sound of ripping wind as the power unleashed a distance forwards, slamming into the Minotaur. A ghastly 'X'-shaped gash ruptured on its torso as it bellowed in bewilderment and pain.

"_POWER CHARGE!"_

Clasping the hilt with both hands, Theseus stabbed the golden sword into the earth. A moment later, the handle of the sword started to vibrate violently, and the golden warrior plucked the sword from the floor. It raised the weapon in front of its face, almost as if contemplating the new swirling mass of power that surrounded its blade. Mysteriously, the yellow streaks of flame that were its "eyes" burst into the most vivid of red.

Wounded and livid with a burning desire to crush the aggravating foe which meted out such punishment upon it, the Minotaur gave a mighty roar before stampeding towards that unexpectedly purposeful human whom it had so underestimated moments before.

"THIS IS FOR HAMUKO! _FATAL END!"_

With blade in hand, Theseus advanced swiftly, slashing across the body of the Minotaur, checking its assault. The mythical beast spun around, shrieking in agony, only to have its face bashed forcefully by the shield in Theseus's other hand. In an almighty crash, it fell onto the ground. The enigmatic mask on the Minotaur's face cracked from the impact, shattering, and it instinctively raised its hands to cover its face, exposing its body. Into it thrust the golden sword, and the great beast fell still. Like the considerably less imposing masked blobs before it, a black vapor began exuding from its body, and the huge monster disappeared slowly into the night sky.

* * *

Victorious, I slumped onto the ground, completely bushed. The spiritual being that I had summoned had faded into the darkness – together with the surge of courage and adrenaline that had kept me standing before. I closed my eyes for a couple of seconds, and took two long, deep breaths.

_Hamuko!_

I suddenly remembered about her after I opened my eyes and caught sight of her limp form lying in front of the takoyaki stand. She was surrounded in a pool of blood.

In my anxiety to rush forwards I tripped over my injured leg and grazed my knee. Ignoring the pain that followed, I commando crawled as quickly as I could towards her, and turned her around from her face-down position. A line of blood trickled from her mouth into her shirt, which was so completely drenched with blood from the gore wound I couldn't even see a spot that _wasn't_ red. With each faint pulse from her heart the puddle of blood grew steadily larger.

"HAMUKO! Hamuko, wake up! Please! Open your eyes, you can do it, c'mon girl-" I pleaded desperately as I shook her motionless body. Her arms flopped about lifelessly in response. "Don't die on me- not now, somebody- no, god DAMN IT!" I cursed as the urge to holler for help was overwhelmed by the cruelty of common sense. Shouting at the top of my lungs would be like setting up a neon signboard flashing the words "Hidetoshi is here" for all nearby monsters to see. Plus with the current exhausted state I was in, I didn't feel as if I could handle a third encounter.

I clasped her hand in mine and held it against my cheek. I couldn't believe how awfully cold it felt. She's dead; she's gone, I told myself. The warm, bubbly, always-helpful girl from next door was dead. _Fuck me_. There was absolutely no way she was going to survive that, not without proper medical attention anyway. Even so… _And she had saved my life_… I had always thought myself as a person whom everyone could depend upon- a solid pillar of support. Yet now I couldn't do_ shit_ to help.

"…Hamuko_…chan…_"

They say that the leader of the Disciplinary Committee was so emotionless that he shed dry tears; but with a fatally wounded girl in my arms, surrounded by coffins in the lonely silence of the darkness of the night, I began to weep.

* * *

Suddenly, I heard some voices from a distance. _Shit, are there more enemies coming this way? _Maybe I could use the gun-evoker again, but somehow I didn't think I could summon Theseus once more to help. It pained me to just leave Hamuko there for spoils while they arrive, but there was no sense in having two people die while I could still get away. Yet I couldn't go very far with this damaged leg of mine. My eyes sought for a sanctuary and came to rest upon the thick clump of bushes behind the bicycle stands.

* * *

"Huh? I don't see any Shadows around. Did Fuuka make a mistake?" an evidently human female voice could be heard. _Fuuka…? _I thought from my hiding place in the bush. It was hell uncomfortable, but there wasn't much of a choice in the first place anyhow.

"Maybe Hamu-tan got rid of it already. Speaking of which, uh, where is she?" a male voice asked. "HAMU-TAN! Where are you cutie-channnn-"

"Shhhh! Quiet Stu-pei!" the female hissed.

"Huh wait a mo, who is that on the floor?"

"A-Arisato!" _Wait a minute, I heard that voice before…_

"My god, is that b-b-blood?" the steadily visible outline of a girl squealed, cupping her hands to her mouth.

"WHAT!-?" the boy shouted.

"HAMUKO-CHAN!"

"WHAT THE HELL HAPP-"

"Calm down!" the distinctively familiar female voice commanded. The form of the Student Council president emerged into view and hurried towards Hamuko. She crouched beside the lifeless girl and placed her cheek two inches above Hamuko's mouth.

"I feel… breathing! She's breathing! Arisato's alive, but barely. QUICKLY! She needs medical attention or she'll die!" Mitsuru-senpai shouted urgently. _She's still alive!_

The remaining three people broke into a run and I saw a teenage male with a blue cap, the popular girl from the adjacent class with a pink sweater and the school boxing champion Akihiko Sanada_. Those guys…_ _Isn't it a coincidence that all of them are from Gekkoukan High?_

"SHIT- Yuka-tan! Please do something about this!" the male with the cap implored.

"B-but it's still the Dark Hour! The h-hospitals are all closed! W-what can we do?" the girl in the pink sweater sniffed.

"GOD DAMN IT, Yuka-tan, are you a healer or not?"

"Oh! Oh, right," Yukari replied meekly, reaching out for her own gun-evoker thing.

"_Io, Recarm!"_ From my hiding place, I watched in astonishment as the figure of a girl sitting on the head of a massive bull materialized. A faint circle of runes appeared on the ground beneath Hamuko, gradually growing in brightness before suddenly disappearing altogether.

"_Diarama!"_ Another pillar of light emerged around the dying girl, emitting little sparkling golden orbs which rose up and descended into her body. From the limited view I got behind the leaves, I watched with concern and optimism at the phenomenon, hoping fervently that a miracle might just occur. Apparently it just did-

"_Tres bien_ and good work, Takeba. Her wounds are mended, but she's still in danger from having lost this much blood, though I daresay she will manage to pull through." _Oh thank goodness_… I couldn't help but close my eyes and heave a great sigh of relief.

"That was truly close. While the "Dia" skills heal wounds, they don't replace blood loss, so it's lucky we found her as we did or…" Mitsuru paused mid-sentence, biting her lower lip for a second before continuing. "We will have to carry her to the hospital after the Dark Hour ends for a blood transfusion." _Dark Hour, huh. If I take that literally, that must mean this madness lasts only for an hour._ I mused from my prickly position between a few jutting branches. _But by God, it feels like forever since I left Keisuke's home._ Now that I was sure Hamuko would be in good hands, I resolved to hear more of their conversation before showing myself to the party, even though I badly wanted to extricate myself from this gnarly arrangement.

"I'll do it!"

"_I'll_ do it!" Both "stu-pei" and Akihiko volunteered. They were the first words I heard from the silver-haired boxer throughout the night.

"Thank you, _Akihiko_." Mitsuru casually responded without even batting a glance at the more junior of the two.

"You stubborn, stubborn girl, why do you keep insisting on having us remain in groups while trying to handle things yourself elsewhere? Now look at the state which you've got yourself into! For god's sake can you please stop making us feel worried about you?" Despite his rebuke, the boxing champion tenderly lifted the unconscious girl bridal-style into his muscular arms. "I swear you are becoming more and more like Shinji these days."

Mitsuru sighed "After this, I'll need to file in an incident report to Ikutsuki – he'll handle it from there. We'll need to get a damage control team to assess and repair the collateral damage caused in the Strip Mall as well."

"That's a hell lot of collateral damage to cover up, though. Seriously! Gee, it looks like a bloody warzone here," the capped teenager whistled and shook his head at seeing the numerous craters on the pavement - and the twisted metal stairway which lay horizontally on the floor. "Looks like Officer Kurosawa will have his work cut out for him next morning. Oh sweet mother of god…" he whispered as his eyes roved towards the bloodstains on the takoyaki sign, and then at the blood on Hamuko's uniform, and drew the link between the two. "Exactly what in Herme's name happened down here?"

"Junpei's right. How did all this happen?" Yukari asked.

Mitsuru paused for a moment as she mulled over his question. "Hang on Iori… Yamagishi, do you copy?"

"Y-Yes, senpai!" A voice echoed from nowhere, causing me to fumble from behind the bushes in shock. I cursed silently as I recovered and remained still- I didn't want to reveal myself just yet. Thankfully, everyone else was too preoccupied with their thoughts to notice the slight commotion. The voice sounded as if it came directly beside my ear, yet as I looked around, I could see no one in sight. _Huh, wasn't that Fuuka's voice? How-_

"How are Aigis and Koromaru doing in their sectors?"

The air buzzed with a noise which sounded like radio static before a monotonous female voice replied "…Ran into some enemy resistance. Battle ended in victory. 2 lesser Shadows eliminated; no friendly casualties. Paulownia Mall is secured. Awaiting orders for next deployment."

"Understood. Report back to the dorm for debrief, we will be joining you in a moment. Good work, Aigis." _Aigis? The new transfer student from 2-F that all the boys were talking about?_

"Woof!" a dog's bark could be heard distinctively in the background.

"Koromaru said that he killed a Shadow too."

"…and Koromaru as well. You have truly been a valuable ally." Mitsuru smiled.

"Woof! Woof!" the dog yapped gleefully in response.

"One more thing, Yamagishi. Could you give me an analysis of the Shadows which Arisato was fighting?"

"Roger that! Gimme a second…" An air of expectant silence ensued, which I made use of to assess my injuries. There was a deep laceration above the heel of my right foot which hurts like hell. Grazed knees. Not forgetting the glass cuts I had received on my hand earlier on– a patch of red had formed on the makeshift bandage wrapped around it. This was bad; I could really use a pick-me-up from that Yukari girl there. I cursed after I jumped _again _at Fuuka's voice.

"Um… my analysis shows that Hamuko-chan had fought two separate groups of Shadows. There were five Maya-class Shadows from earlier on and then… a… a Minotaur IV…" Fuuka's voice ended with a whisper as the four figures shook their heads in disbelief.

"A… Minotaur IV…" Akihiko echoed weakly, and stared at the girl nestled in his arms with silent awe.

"That would explain the amount of debris all over the place," Junpei gazed darkly at the fallen stairs.

"B-but we had so much trouble taking one down even when there are four of us!" Yukari exclaimed incredulously. "How did she manage to kill one all by herself? Or did it hurt her and left her there?"

"No Shadow would just leave its victim before making certain that he or she is killed, Takeba. No, I believe somebody must have helped her destroy this Shadow. Furthermore, her level is still too low for her to tackle such a beast without any foreign aid," Mitsuru Kirijo took a step towards the inert Hamuko cradled in Akihiko's arms. I realized that all of them have a gun and holster attached to themselves in different places.

Junpei took off his cap and scratched his head. "Someone else? Another Persona user?"

"Do you suppose she could have summoned the powerful dark Persona which she had used to save me on the rooftop back in April?" Yukari ventured.

"Possibly, but if she could have summoned it right from the start, how do we explain the severe injuries which she had received? Look," Mitsuru pointed at the 4-inch diameter hole in Hamuko's uniform exposing the now-healed flesh in her midriff, "this was probably inflicted by the horn of the Minotaur IV..." She winced as she made a mental image of how that might have occurred. "You can't summon a Persona subconsciously, and no one would have remained conscious after a blow of this nature, so she couldn't have called that Persona to help. _Non,_ _quelqu'un n'a cette. _Someone else did this; either with great skill or Persona, and killed the Minotaur IV."

There was a slight shuffling of feet as each returned to his or her own thoughts. Yukari spotted the broken fragments of the naginata and picked them up, examining them. Suddenly, she turned around and beckoned for the rest of the group.

"Hey guys, if Hamuko-chan was there-" she pointed at the takoyaki stand "-and her naginata is here, where's her evoker?"

I suddenly remembered what I had in my back pocket.

"_Wait! I sense someone near you!" _Fuuka cried. _"The bushes- check the bushes!"_

_How the heck did she know that?_

Seeing that our little hide-and-seek was over, I (somewhat contentedly) emerged from the darned prickly hiding spot and half-raised my hands in submission while four pairs of eyes simultaneously turned towards me.

"Er… h-hi." I mumbled. Deciding that I probably looked like an idiot with bits of twigs and leaves on my dust-caked jacket, I took it off and gave it two vigorous flicks, then put it back on and tried my best to look dignified.

"_H-Hidetoshi…san?" _Fuuka whispered, astonished.

"Oda…giri?" Mitsuru stuttered.

"Senpai." I recovered my usual posture and tilted my head upwards in acknowledgment.

"Did you defeat the Shadow?"

"Shadow?"

"Yes. That is the name we coined for the monsters that lurk about during the Dark Hour, though most of the time they remain in Tartarus, except when the moon is full." I nodded solemnly in… mock comprehension._ Tartarus? The Underworld below Hades that I had read about in my Greek history book? _

"Yes, I believe I killed it. I used this thing here," I took the gun out of my pocket and showed it to Mitsuru, whose eyes grew wide, "and something strange happened. A guardian appeared from nowhere and I gave it some orders before I- the Minotaur sort of, uh, died." I ended rather lamely.

"_You_ summoned a Persona?" Mitsuru quizzed.

Without warning, the streetlights flickered on, momentarily blinding me. As my pupils dilated to adjust themselves to the change, I finally perceived the full extent of the damage sustained by the mall – and Hamuko's tattered Gekkoukan uniform, which had been reduced to nothing more than bloodstained rags. Looking at her ghostly pale face which had all but drained of blood, the haughty façade which I had tried to sustain shattered completely. I choked back a sob.

"I-It's all my bloody fault, Kirijo-senpai. Arisato-san tried to protect me from that… thing while I tried to run away at first… then it impaled her. I thought that she was d-dead. Damn it, I-I was such a bloody coward!" I stamped the ground angrily with my uninjured leg.

"I've never seen you swearing outright before, Disciplinary Committee leader," Junpei grinned cheekily before falling silent again at the sight of Hamuko's bloodied form. He took off his blue jacket and gently draped it over her body for good measure.

"It's not your fault Odagiri," the red-haired council president soothed. "Had it not been for your intervention, the situation would most certainly have been direr. However," her eyes lit up with a sense of purpose, "we will need to debrief you in the Iwatodai dorm. The yellow moon, the power you used, the spiritual being which you summoned: all these require an explanation which I am sure you would like to be given-"Mitsuru checked herself after I stifled a big yawn from under my teary eyes which she completely saw through. "-after you have had a good rest." She smiled.

But I was not to be shaken from my train of thoughts. "And Hamuko-"

"-Will be treated by an emergency blood transfusion. Be rest assured we have the resources available to procure one without delay." Mitsuru said with a tone that suggested that that conversation was over. As I looked around, I saw two coffins behind the telephone booth vanish, becoming a human couple who were giggling and making out in the privacy of the night, apparently oblivious to everything that had happened in the past hour.

She took my silence for consent. Studying me for a moment, Mitsuru spotted the ugly lesions on the back my leg. She drew her gun and pointed it smartly at her attractive head.

"_Penthesilea."_ A tall, slender maiden clad completely in steel and satin materialized, holding a rapier in one hand and a main-gauche in the other. On its head was a helmet with a small golden crown.

"_Dia!"_ The wounds on my leg glistened with light and I watched in amazement as the torn skin began to mend. The pink handkerchief on my left hand peeled off to reveal my perfectly uninjured palm underneath. I gazed in astonishment.

"This is… amazing…" I proclaimed as I turned my left hand back and forth in examination.

"Akihiko, you will need to stay low for a while." Mitsuru urged as a small group of people began to gather around the ruined mall and stare. Junpei and Yukari instinctively moved to shield Hamuko's body from sight. "Get Arisato out of public scrutiny. I'll call for an ambulance under the Kirijo entreprise." _They possess an _ambulance _all for themselves. Guess I shouldn't be too surprised; her family owns the entire Tatsumi Port Island anyway, _I thought. _Why, then, does she live in a dorm and not in a mansion with a dozen maids and a swimming pool?"_

"Iori, Takeba, escort Odagiri back to the Iwatodai dorm. Try to keep out of sight; people will stare if they see him in the open. Let him have the room at the end of the second floor hallway for the night. The keys are in the Meeting Room, second shelf from the left, bottom drawer."

"Yes ma'am!" Junpei cheerfully responded. _Oh perfect. Of all people…_

Not entirely happy with having the school idiot as my guide, I quickly interrupted, "Kirijo-senpai, is it possible to let me retire to Keisuke's home for the night? I believe he must be quite worried because I was supposed to be there an hour ago. And I also need to retrieve some… some items…"

"Take a look at yourself, Odagiri, and the bloodstains on your shirt." I gave a start, realizing that while I had held Hamuko in my arms some moments before, some of her blood had rubbed off against my uniform. "What would Hiraga say seeing you like this? Apart from that… I'm sorry, but I must absolutely insist." There was something in her eye which hinted that any further attempts for a compromise would be futile. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

"Alright… Let's go, Odagiri-san" Yukari said with some uneasiness. For some reason her nervous expression reflected that of almost everyone else in school whenever they were asked to work with me. I wondered why.

* * *

Just as I had expected, despite my best efforts to look in some other direction, Junpei broke the silence barely a minute after we had left Hamuko with Mitsuru and Akihiko.

"Hey dude… I mean, Odagiri-san, is it true that you can summon a Persona?" Junpei blurted.

"Yeah… I guess…" I replied coolly, unwilling to be dragged into a brainless conversation with this punk.

"Man, how awesome is that!" he grinned. "You know, the rest of us actually can, too. Like my Persona… its name is Hermes. It can conjure some really spiffy fire spells! And Yuka-tan here…" Junpei fished her towards him with an arm around the shoulder.

For the first time in my life I was pretty sure I could read a girl's thoughts from the look on her face. It was an expression of her unwillingness to join the conversation _plus_ her urge to sock one at Junpei _plus_ her reluctance to do_ exactly that_ in front of a stranger(me) from the Disciplinary Committee.

"…can cast some neat little Garu spells. Though Agilao looks so much cooler than Garula, right, Yuka-tan?"

"Uh-um…y-yeah," Yukari replied awkwardly. _Garula…? Isn't that the same one which I had just-_

"The hell it ain't. Because it's _hotter_! Get it? Hahaha…oh snap! I'm becoming more and more like Ikutsuki-san!"

_Whatever, man._

"Anyway, you da man, Odagiri-san! None of us can defeat a Minotaur-class Shadow yet, but I'll do my best to train to catch up! How did it feel like when you first experienced the Dark Hour today? Or did you experience it before already? I remembered the first time I saw…" Junpei's chatter seemed to go on forever.

_Oh just shut up already, wouldn't you?_

I tried my best to deflect his never-ending questions with a series of "Mmm…", "I see…" and "If you say so…"s. Though there was something reassuring in hearing someone's voice going incessantly beside me. Maybe it was because it helped me stop thinking about _her_. The "Dark Hour" had past and the air was warmer than before, but I still felt the chilly breeze which blew by because my shirt was wet. Wet because it was soaked with her-…

_Ah_ s_hit._ I started feeling guilty all over again.

Junpei must have seen the expression on my face. All of a sudden he stopped in his tracks.

"Hey buddy-" he turned around "-look at me." I ignored him. Seeing the lack of response, he placed his hand on my shoulder and firmly spun me around. "_Look at me_. I know that you're feeling responsible for whatever that happened to Hamuko and all-"

That got my attention.

"-but it's NOT your fault. You hear me? It's not your fault." He emphasized each of the last three words with a nod of his head.

"_What the hell do you know, punk_?" I snarled, but refused to look straight at him.

""It's not my fault Hamuko got hurt." C'mon dude. Say it with me. "It's not-"" Junpei insisted.

"Screw off." I turned my head away.

"Say it."

"_No."_

"Say it."

Another draft of wind howled across the street. It was cold. Junpei had still had his hand firmly on my shoulder. He had no intention of removing it. Something was causing my shoulder to shudder, but it wasn't me who was shivering. I suddenly remembered that that idiot had left his jacket with Hamuko. I looked up and saw that he had only a singlet between him and the wind, but that smarmy bugger was determined as hell.

"What difference does it make?" I said softly. For some reason, words were beginning to flow. "That monster could have killed me there. When I didn't see it, she pushed me to the ground, and took the blow herself. When it came for me, she defended me. But when it stuck her, I just stood there… AND WATCHED!"

My voice became a shout. I grabbed Junpei by his shirt and pulled him towards me roughly, screaming into his face. "WHAT KIND OF A GUY JUST STANDS THERE AND ACTS LIKE A USELESS PIECE OF SHIT WHILE THAT DAMN BEAST MURDERS HAMUKO?"

I loosened my grip. "Are you trying to make me confess again? I've already said it before. I'm a coward." I whispered. Damn it, why do I feel like crying all over again?

_I'm a coward…_

The blare of several police sirens could be heard as they sped past us along the street. I stared furiously into the eyes of the blue-capped man, who resolutely returned my gaze. I lost the battle of stares and turned my eyes downwards in disgust. Disgust at myself, and my weakness. The noise died down as the patrol cars disappeared towards the direction of the Iwatodai Strip Mall.

"No. You're_ a hero."_ Junpei's voice shook me from my self-pity.

…_Hero?_

"Do you think she could have taken that thing on by herself? We may be able to summon Personas, but we can't fight something like that by ourselves… yet. For three damn months I've been spending almost every night training with the rest to improve my skills against those Shadows. And my grades suffered because of it-"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yukari rolling her eyes. Junpei saw it too, but he continued without missing a beat.

"-But no matter how much I tried, I still can't pull off whatever you did back there. None of us can. Not even _cutie-chan_. It takes nearly our entire group to defeat a Minotaur, yet you did it all by yourself. Do you know how _amazing_ is that? Hell, sometimes I even have problems dealing with a stupid pack of Mayas.

Do you know what I did the first time I saw the Dark Hour? I screamed. I ran in circles around the coffins bawling. I huddled myself in a corner and cried like a baby until Akihiko-senpai found me. And what did _you _do on your first Dark Hour? You killed a Shadow. Not just some half-assed Shadow, too. A _Minotaur IV_…

She would have died if you hadn't been around to save her. _You_ saved her. You."

Something in his words was beginning to ring in my head. But I still refused to give in. "I could have summoned something earlier…"

"You couldn't because you didn't know how to."

"I stood there and watched…"

"-You stood there and _won_."

"I tried to run…"

"-It doesn't matter."

There was a pause. It was hard to argue against Junpei when his arm was still shaking violently on my shoulder. I glanced to my right and saw Yukari nodding her head in encouragement.

"She wouldn't blame you, you know?" Junpei added softly.

I sighed.

"Fine. Fine, you win, alright? Let's just go back to the dorm." I surrendered.

He wasn't convinced. "Say "It's not my fault Hamuko got hurt", first."

"I won't. But I get what you mean."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." I replied in exasperation, but I nodded.

Junpei grinned. "Heheh. Now that's more like it!" He released his grip, but not before slapping me hard on the shoulder. The three of us continued walking down the road.

"So you think you're some big shot eh, Iori-san? After you managed to talk the leader of the Student Council Disciplinary Committee around?" I abruptly snapped. I still can't believe I had let myself be cajoled by that sneaky bastard back there.

"It's Junpei. Call me Junpei." he replied serenely.

"I don't even _know_ you yet, you fool!"

"Can I call you Hidetoshi?"

"No."

"Hidetoshi-san?"

"No!"

"Okay! Okay! How about…Odagiri…_sama_?"

"Why you impertinent-"

We argued our way back towards the dorm. I felt better.

* * *

"So here is your room for the night. Last room down the second floor hallway! It's quite easy to remember, isn't it?" Yukari said as she showed me around the dormitory after I took a shower. My eyelids felt like lead. I was too tired to even bother to reply. I shoved open the door lazily and lumbered towards the bed.

"Good night, Odagiri-san," Yukari bade as she quietly closed the door. I instantly plopped onto the mattress and fell asleep even before my head hit the pillow.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER 2**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

This chapter was originally supposed to have been combined with the next one, but the more I typed and the more ideas that surfaced, I had to split them up into two because it became too long. Yucks, there's something I don't like about this- the conversations before Junpei's feel a bit forced. I'll probably look through them and edit them again. I'm a bit confused over my writing style too; I'm still new, so I'm still trying to figure it out.

If you are wondering why Shinjiro dies / becomes hospitalized in the game while Hamuko survives through something much worse with a well-placed Recarm and Diarama, well, I'll find a way.

As usual, any mistakes or suggestions or comments, please feel free to point them out!

MINOR SPOILER: Theseus's skill set is, by level: (Power Slash, **Apt Pupil**, Fatal End, Garula, **Power Charge**, **Tetrakarn), Endure, Garudyne** in his first form; the skills in bold being the ones which would be in his final 8. The skills in bracket are the ones he has for now; he is around level 40-ish I guess. 4 more skills would be revealed after he morphs into a different Persona nearing the second half of the story.

**neko-neko-aishizu** In the words of FrizFroz - Hooray amazing psychic powers of deduction! No wait, I not-so-subtly bolded "Theseus" in the first chapter. Woops! But thanks for catching that actually, goes to show _some_ people are reading ;) Mmmm... btw, that "history book" doesn't exist irl heh

**RyougaZell **You know. Thanks for... a lot of things :)

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**TRIVIA:**

-In Greek Mythology, the mythical founder-king of Athens, Theseus, was the son of Poseidon and cousin to Hercules. His name came from the root word "thesmos"; Greek for_ institution_. He is best known for slaying the Minotaur in the Labyrinth of Crete. In a war between the Athenians and Crete from which the latter took victory, King Minos of Crete demanded that for every 9 years, 14 Athenian boys and girls should be left in the Labyrinth of Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull beast. Disguising himself as one of the Athenian boys to be sacrificed, he slew the Minotaur with the sword given to him by Ariadne, King Minos daughter, and escaped the Labyrinth with the help of a ball of string.

-King Theseus ruled by an iron fist - he was believed to have cleansed the way of evildoers by making them suffer the same death – or worse- that they had inflicted on others. On his way to Athens, he came across Sinis, a sadistic man who forced passersby to keep bending pine trees to the extent where the humans were tossed up by them and perished. Theseus punished Sinis by killing him using the same method, and _afterwards ravished his daughter Perigune._


	3. Chapter 3: Apathy

_And now the cordial clouds have shut all in,  
And gently swells the wind to say all's well;  
The scattered drops are falling fast and thin,  
Some in the pool, some in the flower-bell._

(_"The Summer Rain_") - Henry David Thoreau

**Disclaimer:** If I were Atlus, there would be P4P. NAO.

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**PERSONA 3: MEMOIRS OF AN EMPEROR**

**CHAPTER 3: APATHY**

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**

I had a nightmare. The gory scenes involving Hamuko and the Minotaur played over and over in my mind. Again I watched its horn tearing into her body. Again I remembered how cold and clammy her fingers had felt. But before Mitsuru and the other three arrived, I thought I saw the shadow of a girl with long hair and a white dress disappearing into an alleyway…

"…sama!"

_What?_

"…Odagiri-sama you stupid sleepyhead, wake up! Mitsuru-senpai wants to talk to all of us upstairs in the Meeting Room!" Junpei shouted from outside my room while banging on the door.

Yawning loudly, I dragged myself out of the bed and headed to the fourth floor. Before I left the room I took a look at the mirror which hung on the wall beside the door. The reflection of my haggard face and droopy eyes greeted me, and I realized that the collar of my shirt was drenched in sweat. In a sense I was actually glad that I had woken up. I was beginning to get tired at having that sick dream keep repeating itself like a damn broken video player.

When I arrived, I saw seven other people standing around or sitting on the sofa already. It was a large room with several bookshelves towards the left, a cluster of sofas around the middle and a complex-looking contraption that sat in front of them. _What is that? _I thought. _Maybe I should check it out one day._

Mitsuru beckoned me towards the armchair besides hers. All eyes were on me as I walked across the room and settled down on the red cushiony seat.

"People, I would like to introduce you to Odagiri. He is another Gekkoukan High student from Class 2-E and-"

"-the leader of the distinguished Student Council Disciplinary Committee." I couldn't help but interrupt. "My name is Hidetoshi Odagiri. It's a pleasure to meet you all." I stood up proudly and bowed.

"W-well, yes that would be uh, that would be it." Mitsuru said in some confusion. For some unfathomable reason I was surrounded with blank stares until somebody suddenly stood up and smacked me on the back.

"ODAGIRI-_SAMAAA_!" Junpei exclaimed. "How absolutely _delightful_ it is to have such an honorable-"

"-Shut up, Stupei." I blurted. Everyone froze at my unexpected intrusion, which I didn't even expect _myself_ to say, before bursting into laughter. Junpei just covered his face with his hands in mock embarrassment and hurt, but I caught a glimpse of that cheeky grin underneath.

"Okay, okay, settle down, settle down," Mitsuru pleaded, a little miffed. "Odagiri, this is Yukari Takeba-" she gesticulated at Short-Skirt, who waved back with a smile "…Fuuka Yamagishi…" my green-haired classmate beamed "…Akihiko Sanada..." she continued down the rest of the group.

"…Ken Amada…" she pointed at the little brown-haired boy sitting on the couch opposite mine. _A kid?_ He could not have been more than ten years old.

"…this is Koromaru…"

"Woof woof!" _it_ replied.

_Wait WHAT?_

_A pet living inside a school dormitory. Aren't they disallowed in these school facilities? Sorry people, but this indiscretion would have to be reported to the Board of Student…w-wait, the chairwoman's here. Oh yeah._

"Koromaru says that you have a piece of paper which says "Odagiri-sama for Prez" stuck on your back," the blond girl pointed out with a straight face…or in fact, the straightest face which I have ever seen for that matter.

_Stupei…_

"O-of course, I knew that already," I stuttered while ripping the incriminating piece of paper off my shirt. "Always doing my best to play along with the crowd." I tried to fake a smile in return. Apparently the rest were far from convinced.

_Wait a second._ "Did you just say "Koromaru says"…?" I started.

"-And last but not least, this is Aigis. She is the last surviving model of the Experimental Anti-Shadow Weapon, and has now been assigned to help us in our recent missions," Mitsuru concluded.

"Experimental Anti-Shadow…_Weapon_?" I stared at Mitsuru while pointing at the beautiful blonde girl on my left.

"Yes. Aigis is a robot."

"Aigis is a _robot_." I repeated, and flatly.

"Show him your hands, Aigis."

"Your wish is my command," Aigis replied in monotone. She pulled back her sky blue sleeves, revealing an intricate array of copper rings and carbon fiber sockets and… were those _gun barrels _on her fingers?

_. . ._

_Wtf._

"Together, we are the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, in short, SEES." Mitsuru explained, articulating the acronym aloud as_ "cease". _"We are a group of students who focus on eliminating Shadows that appear in the world during the Dark Hour, and Arisato is our leader." _Hamuko-chan?_

"The phenomenon which you have experienced earlier in the morning is called the 'Dark Hour'. Every day, when midnight falls, there is a hidden hour that surfaces only to those with the power to see it. It is an hour where the moon becomes yellow, humans become coffins and the water becomes-"

"Blood." I finished the sentence, nodding in comprehension.

"That is correct. Within this hour, all electrical devices fail to work, as I suppose you have already witnessed yesterday when you first awakened to that power. To those who do not possess that ability, they are 'transmogrified' into coffins which protect them against the monsters which lurk around during this period of time. These monsters we call 'Shadows'.

For those with the power, however, they live through each hour after midnight everyday in fear of being attacked and devoured by these Shadows. As those who survive began to evolve, they also began to develop a self-defense mechanism to counter this threat. They are able to summon a spiritual guardian called a 'Persona'; a manifestation of one's soul which protects its user against the Shadows. Since these Personas are, in essence, an image of oneself, everybody's Persona is unique. No one Persona is an exact copy of another. Mine you have already seen yesterday. Her name is 'Penthesilea.'

All of us who live here are Persona users, and all of us have a common goal. To eliminate the Shadows from this world. To put an end to the Dark Hour."

"_All_ of us are Persona users?" I pointed out doubtfully.

"All of us, and that includes Koromaru, if that's what you're saying." Mitsuru inferred correctly.

_Surprise, surprise._

"So how many Shadows are there in the world?" I asked.

"There's too many of them for me to give you an accurate estimate."

_You're kidding, right?_

"However, most Shadows are confined in a tower which only appears during the Dark Hour, called Tartarus." Mitsuru hastily continued after seeing my gaping face. "Tartarus is a nest of Shadows which we train in to develop our combat skills against even more these Shadows. While they reside within it, they pose no threat to people in the world outside its walls. The exception to these we call the "Full Moon" Shadows, as they literally appear on the midnight of every full moon.

From what we have gathered from Ikutsuki, the advisor of SEES whom you may meet later, these Full Moon Shadows are responsible for the escalation of the Apathy Syndrome in Japan. By defeating these Shadows, we will also defeat Tartarus and the Dark Hour. There are twelve of them; each one stronger than the Shadows in Tartarus, and named after the first twelve Major Arcanas of the tarot deck of Thoth. We have succeeded in eliminating eight of them. Four still remain. The next full moon will arrive in September the 5th."

Mitsuru paused, giving me some time to absorb what she had just said. Tartarus… Shadows…Arcanas…Apathy Syndrome. Just yesterday I was an ordinary 2nd year high school student, and now I am expected to simply understand this… this insane reality in which we live in? I furrowed my brows in vexation.

_Wait a minute_, I thought. Something was amiss.

"But senpai, if you say that the Shadows remain in Tartarus and only surface during a full moon, how does this explain what happened in the previous Dark Hour? Why is there a… a _Minotaur_ walking in the middle of Iwatodai Strip Mall? And WHERE WERE _YOU _ALL WHEN HAMUKO-SAN WAS JUST THIS CLOSE-" I angrily stuck up a thumb and forefinger and left just the tiniest gap in between "-TO GETTING SLAUGHTERED BY THAT SHADOW?"

"Calm down, Odagiri!" Mitsuru interjected sharply in the midst of the stunned silence that followed after my sudden outburst. "I know that you are angered by our absence during that critical point in time, but please understand that we have our reasons. The Shadows in the Strip Mall weren't the only Shadows lurking about outside Tartarus."

"What?" My jaw dropped.

"Before we came, we took down four Shadows near Naganaki Shrine. Aigis and Koromaru destroyed two more in Paulownia Mall, though, of course, the Shadows weren't as strong as the Minotaur you and Arisato faced," she admitted.

"It's all my fault, Hidetoshi-san," Fuuka explained dejectedly. "I could have detected the Minotaur earlier, but the strength of my support powers decreases with range."

"You don't have to feel sorry, Yamagishi. All of us have a limit to our powers, and we can't expect you to cover three different locations at the same time. All the same I am glad you brought up this point, Odagiri. This is exactly why I have called all of you up in the first place –to discuss this problem." Mitsuru declared.

"Shadows that roam freely outside Tartarus without a full moon… There are a few possibilities; the first being that the Shadows may have evolved to escape the bounds of Tartarus. Though this has occurred before, such as when Koromaru had defeated a stray Shadow in the Naganaki Shrine, it has never happened in such a scale. If left unchecked, there could be more Shadows escaping than those last midnight in the future. This is a disturbing prospect, one which we will have to monitor and adapt with in time. If this is the case, we will have to permanently station a sentry at the gates of Tartarus every day –an inconvenient solution, but what can be done, must be done. _Akihiko_!"

"_Mitsuru_?" the handsome silver-haired boxer stood up. _No honorific?_

"You will do the first shift tonight." Mitsuru replied.

"Understood."

Looking around the room to ensure she had everyone's attention, the redhead continued. "Another possibility is that the Full Moon Shadows may have spawned lesser Shadows, since they are the only Shadows which are confirmed to be able to exist outside Tartarus. Unlikely, since there was no Full Moon yesterday.

Now the more probable third option would be that the Shadows could have been _intentionally _led out of Tartarus by external means."

Fuuka raised her head in sudden comprehension. "A-Ah! Strega!"

"Those lousy SONS-OF-BITCHES!" Junpei exclaimed while banging his fist against the table.

"Now, now, don't jump into conclusions, Iori. I only said it was a possibility." Mitsuru coaxed.

"If I find out that they were the ones who did this to Hamu-tan…" Junpei growled, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Who is 'Strega'" I asked inquisitively.

"A group of Persona users who do _not_ want the Dark Hour to end. So far, we don't know much about them, since they haven't done anything much unless you count trying to _kill_ us by locking us in with a Full Moon Shadow." Junpei explained.

_Nice_.

"So, just to clarify what you've just said, you are a team who risk your lives every night by going straight into the _nest of Shadows_, so that you can 'gain experience' to risk your lives _again_ to battle Full Moon Shadows. _And_ you have this other group of Persona-users who are trying to kill you. Is that correct?" I asked.

"Odagiri-san…" Yukari looked at me with wide-opened eyes.

"And, starting from yesterday, you have this er… complication where, for some reason, Shadows start walking around town and you all try to intercept them; and your leader would have _died_ if you and I hadn't been there on time. And this is probably going to keep repeating again from now on, is that right?"

All eight heads looked at me in silence. Even the white dog had stopped wagging its tail.

"And seeing that you'd perhaps need a little more manpower to help sentry the gates of this… this Tartarus place, you want me to join SEES and stay here with the rest of you?"

Mitsuru beamed and began speaking. "I'm extremely glad that you are able to understand this so-"

"-What if I wasn't around when the Minotaur skewered Hamuko-san?" I interrupted before the Student Council chairwoman could finish her sentence. The dream that I had in the morning came back into my mind, as vivid as ever. I began standing up.

"What if_ I'm _the one who you guys failed to save?"

Time seemed to have come to a standstill in the room. No one moved a muscle. The silence was overpowering; I could almost hear them stop breathing.

_You were wrong, Junpei. I am not a hero._

_I have too much to lose._

"The answer is _no_. See you guys around." Ignoring the eight stares that followed, I walked towards the double doors of the room without looking back. I grabbed my clean clothes from the dryer and disappeared into the warm morning sunshine.

* * *

[Press Unlock and then *]

[Now press *]

[Keypad active]

[1 Unread Mail Message] _Click._ "Hey sup, wth happened ytd nite? Pls reply asap! :O" [Sender: Keisuke. Sent: 15-Aug-2009, 07:32:23] _Click._

*BEEP* "You have three voicemail messages. Please press the-"

_Click._ "Hidetoshi-kun, this is Keisuke here. Where did you go? One moment you were standing next to me and the next thing I know, you disappeared. Did you have something important to do? Call me back."

_Click._ "Hey Keisuke here again, Mum and Dad are back and they are asking me why there is broken glass and blood all over the floor. Yikes man, did you cut yourself on the glass? What happened just now? Sms me back or give me a ring okay?"

_Click._ "Holy crap, did you see what happened to the Strip Mall? Hope you can reply soon man, my parents were all squeamish when they saw the blood in our house. Dad keeps asking what kind of a doctor I am if I can't even bandage up my friend, and Mum is furious because you broke her favorite cup."

_Sigh._

The cheery rays of the afternoon sun fell onto me, showering me in the warmth of summer that would soon pave its way for the season where the first _tsubakis_ begin to bloom. Already I could see people setting up decorations all around the streets in preparation for the annual Summer Festival, which happens to be tomorrow, in fact. I checked my watch -it was 1:30pm. It had been four hours since I left the SEES bunch, and since then I had not done anything much other than wander around town aimlessly. At this time last week I would be working at Chagall café for a little cash since I did not have other plans during the summer holidays; and I would have done so today if the manager hadn't decided to give his staff a one week break and spend his own holiday in Singapore.

It's great when you have the money to travel around, isn't it? I thought bitterly. Then again, with that loser in prison for something he did not commit,_ I_ had to struggle to make ends meet for our family. Since then, I have sworn to do everything in my power to achieve recognition, both outside school and within. With recognition comes jobs with status, with status comes money, and _money is power_. And with power comes the ability to _control._ Control the media, control others' perception; control the cogs of fate which have so unjustly landed that idiot father of mine in jail because of his "sincerity".

But before you can create your own rules, you have to adhere to the existing ones. We live in a dog eat dog world, where society leaves no room for compassion and honesty. Even if it is a reality which I wish to change, the greatest irony lies in the fact that to change the world, one must possess _control_. And to accomplish this, I must build an impenetrable wall around my conscience; my kindness and morality, so that I can move forward without falter.

My idol appears every Sunday on television. Yep, if you are wondering, that's the moronic President Tanaka "coming across the airwaves to meeeeeeeee." So what if he has zero principle or ethics? He has _both_ money and power. And _that_, that is all that matters. As I continued walking down the street, I saw a thin man in a hoodie sitting in an alleyway, leaning lazily against the dusty wall. Hmph, another fool who wastes his life away doing nothing constructive for his future and his family. Yet another repulsive blemish in this society of spoilt brats in which I live in.

Suddenly, his skeletal frame twitched twice. "Ugh…uh…ughhh" he mumbled unintelligibly before becoming still again. As I looked closer, I saw a trickle of saliva rolling down his tongue which lolled about spastically outside his open mouth. His skin was turning into a sickly gray shade; his eyes, devoid of any emotion whatsoever, stared blankly at the opposing wall. He looked completely drained of life, yet he was living. Oh I see now, he's just another poor sod who got hit by the Apathy Syndrome. That suddenly brought Mitsuru and the SEES to mind. Trying my best to ignore the sickening sight, I hurried away with both hands in my pockets.

What's that? There's something else in my pocket, and it isn't my wallet or my cell. I drew out my left hand and held between my fingers was the girlishly pink handkerchief with "H-A-M-U-K-O" sewn on its centre.

A pang of guilt ripped across my conscience again. I had forgotten to take her handkerchief out of my pocket before I dumped my pants into the washing machine. As such, the bloodstains on the piece of cloth did not wash away completely; a faint reddish-brown residue still remained that partially covered the heart on the handkerchief. Some of it was mine, and some of it was hers, when I had raised her delicate body from whence she had lain on the ground, bleeding, dying. And I remembered the feeling I had then: an amalgam of fear, anger, loneliness, disorientation and… _care_.

She saw a terrified teenage boy surrounded by bizarre black creatures and unhesitatingly rushed forward to his defense. She _then_ saw a massive monstrosity more than capable of killing her bearing down upon him, and_ still_ rushed forward to his defense. She nearly died in the process. Looking down at her handkerchief, I felt an immense sense of shame clouding my usually logical mind. Why did she do that? Who was I to her, for her to be so willing to sacrifice her life for? What exactly would she have gotten in return for that noble act?

_She had everything to lose, and nothing to gain._

Lost in the midst of my thoughts, I only realized that I had unwittingly walked right into the Kangoku Prison when I noticed the ten-foot walls that separated its inmates from the outside world. I sighed -since I was already here, I guess I might as well pay _him_ a visit_._ The guard outside requested for me to leave down my personal information and contact number before I entered the rusting gates.

_**

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**END OF CHAPTER 3

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

(rant) WHY OH WHY CAN'T I PUT A GODDAMN (!) NEXT TO (?) ON THIS SITE!-? (/rant)

On retrospect, it is quite hard to read lengthy essays with fullscreen text. I suggest reducing it to 3/4 size, especially if you thought the previous chapter was too long.

Okay, so again I did a chapter which got too long so I separated them into Chapters 3 and 4. I'll put the rest of my **AN** on the next chapter, so _read on_.

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**TRIVIA:**

"Kangoku" is actually "prison" in Jap, so technically, Kangoku Prison means "Prison prison". Ah screw it, I can't think of anything else to name it after.


	4. Chapter 4: Family

"_The driving drops advanced their gears  
To camouflage my sneaking tears -  
Whence now did swell such floods of pain  
To see me melt into this rain…"_

(on "Rain") –Mark R. Slaughter

**Disclaimer:** If I were Atlus, Hamuko will be able to "embrace her desires" in that love shack.

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**PERSONA 3: MEMOIRS OF AN EMPEROR**

**CHAPTER 4: FAMILY**

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**

"H-Hidetoshi-kun!" the haggard face of a middle-aged man lit up with surprise, widening into a warm smile which I did not return. They say that prison food is bad, which wasn't hard to believe because he seemed to become more emaciated each time I dropped by.

"I didn't come here because I wanted to see you; I came because I just happened to walk past this place." My cold words did nothing to change the joyful expression on my father's face. He stared hungrily at me through the shatterproof glass that separated us, absorbing every detail of his son which he had not seen for the past six months.

"You've grown skinnier since the last time I saw you. Have you been eating well at school?" my father accused.

"There's no need for you to worry, thank you very much." I snapped.

"How are your mother and Suzume-chan?"

I sighed. "Doing okay, I guess."

"And what about you? How have you been doing so far in school, Hidetoshi-kun?"

"Perfectly fine. Does it look like I have a choice not to? Since I'm on a school scholarship which I can't afford to get kicked out from because _somebody_ is sitting in jail?" I raised my voice angrily.

My father stared guiltily at the floor. "I'm so sorry, Hidetoshi-kun, for leaving you and your mother alone while I rot away in prison…"

"Does saying 'sorry' help?" I retorted, even though I knew full well that he did not commit the crime that had landed him three years behind bars. Two years ago, while my father was gathering information as a scriptwriter for a story, a TV anchorwoman was injured on the job. Though the executives in the TV station which my father worked for initially claimed that it was an "unfortunate accident", a magazine eventually learned that they were hiding something from public eye. In defense, they pushed the blame onto my father, accusing him of concealing the truth, turning him into a scapegoat. 'Perjury'; that wretched word was called. He was accused of perjury by the same men whom he had diligently submitted his articles for.

"So what if you did not commit the crime? You were soft. You were weak, and that's why they used you. It was because of _your_ weakness, _your_ naivety, that we have ended up in this state. _'Sorry',_ you say_…_" I laughed bitterly. "What help does saying sorry do now?"

"I am not proud of who I am, Hidetoshi-kun. But regardless, I still stand by my principles." my father asserted determinedly while his eyes unswervingly met mine.

"What good do principles do if the executives in your company don't abide by your lofty intentions?" I spited back. Before he could defend himself, I added devastatingly,

"I am not proud of who you are _too_, _father_."

Those ugly words must have resonated painfully in the prisoner's mind, for his dull gray eyes moistened and he looked away. I felt a strong stab of guilt as I did not mean to say those words, but I did nothing to retract them; instead, I stared at him haughtily before he replied.

"_I know." _

Damn it, why did he have to admit it like that! I bit my lip in an effort to quell the tears that threatened to betray the indifference that I had worked so hard to show. With some effort I succeeded in doing so. Turning his face back towards me, he smiled.

"_But I am proud of you, my son."_

Now that did it. Like a bullet, his words shattered through the brick wall that I had thought was secure enough to close my heart to the world. "Damn him," I cursed to myself as I was forced to look down to hide my glistening eyes. In our battle of wills, my father had won the first round.

"Whose handkerchief is that, Hidetoshi? Is that from your girlfriend?" my father inquired as he caught sight of Hamuko's handkerchief which I still held in my hand for… some reason. He who was victorious graciously extends his hand to help the loser onto his feet, huh? I grabbed that chance to recover with a rejoinder.

"It's nothing like that." I looked up and snapped.

"Well, that's a pity, isn't it? But let me tell you one thing, my son. I know that it's my fault that you always try to keep your emotions to yourself, but know that for some things in life, you cannot keep denying your feelings forever." My father smiled sympathetically at me. "Love is one of them."

"Save me the lectures, old man." I snarled.

Ignoring my statement, he continued, "Lead your life with your head, but never forget what your heart tells you. Though you can say that I have condemned myself to prison because I was too naïve to accept the cruelty of this world, I face my conscience with my head held high because my soul tells me that I have done nothing wrong. It only breaks my heart because my wife and child have to bear the costs of my values."

"Unfortunately, I do not share _your_ conscience, father." I retorted. "You lost your chance to make it up to your wife and your child when you got us into this mess." For a moment we stared at each other awkwardly in silence. He raised his hand towards me, as if wanting to reach out to touch my face, to reassure me, but all that his bony fingers made contact with was the cold hard surface of the glass window. My fingers twitched momentarily, but I just continued staring insolently ahead. A warden tapped me from behind.

"I'm sorry, sir, but your time is up. Please head along the corridor and exit through the stairs on your right." I saw the jailor on the other side of the shatterproof glass beginning to pull my father away from the visitor window. In those few minutes that had transpired we had been so close to each other, and yet so far, divided physically and emotionally by the glass barrier that had stood before us.

"Goodbye, my son," my father said sorrowfully as he was dragged back into the cold iron gates that led to the prisoners' cells. Wordlessly, I swept past the warden and exited the room without looking back.

"_Goodbye, father,"_ I whispered to myself outside the prison gates. The cumulonimbuses were beginning to build up in the sky, blotting out the merry rays of the sunshine. Already I could smell the saturation of moisture in the air.

"…_Lead your life with your head, but never forget what your heart tells you…"_

_What does my conscience tell me. . ._

_. . . Hamuko-chan?_

_

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_

"Mum, Suzume-san, I'm home!" I called from the door outside our home. A beautiful young maiden, roughly 20 years of age, peered from behind the door.

"Oh it's you, Hidetoshi-kun. Come in, come in! Your mother's at the dinner table, dinner will be ready in 5 minutes!" Suzume beckoned. In an instant, a furry, golden-brown missile shot into me, nearly throwing me off my feet.

"Aw stop it, Toshikazu, geroff me!" I complained while our golden retriever ran around in circles barking happily. With some difficulty, I fought off the enthusiastic animal, brushed its fur off my school blazer, and walked towards the dining room.

"Welcome home, Hidetoshi-kun." The woman at the dining table smiled while her unfocused eyes stared vacantly at the wall ahead of her, oblivious at her son's actual direction. She was blind; cataracts had formed over her pupils as the result of ocular trauma two years ago. Just two weeks before my father was accused of perjury, my mother became a victim of another one of Japan's violent mugging incidents near the market. The two bastards threatened my mother with a club if she did not hand out the money from her purse. Sensing that robbery was not their only intention, she extracted the pepper spray she hid in her bag and used it on one of the robbers before attempting to escape. In anger, the club swung forth, catching my mother between the eyes, knocking her out. Thankfully, a passerby witnessed the event and shouted for help, but the damage was done. Chances of recovery of sight were slim.

She was the reason why I despised my father so much, for leaving us without any source of income while I had to take care of my mother and our rental and tuition fees alone. Fortunately, we still had Suzume, a kindred soul from a wealthy family who took pity on my mother's plight. She was the one who had saved my mother during the robbery and brought her to the hospital. Despite the protests of her family, she had been helping out in our family for two years, arriving early in the morning and leaving only at ten in the night. "Seeing a stranger smile through my efforts gratifies me, reminding me of the simple ordinary things in life that make me so blessed," she had always said. I loved her, and yet I loathed her, because she did not have to earn a living for herself; instead spending time to help others to fulfill that special place in that warm heart of hers. Sometimes I hated her for taking pity on us. I did not need pity. I needed money. I needed power; the power to change the world.

…_Lead your life with your head, but never forget what your heart tells you…_

I looked down at my trousers and saw the tiny speck of pink protruding out of my left pocket.

_Sigh… _

"M-Mum, I would like to ask you something." I swallowed painfully.

"Yes, Hidetoshi-kun? What's on your mind?" my mother said as Suzume laid the dishes on top of the table.

"My school offered me a… a job program that requires me to s-stay at the campus hostel every night. It… pays well, and I believe that it can help me improve my skills and uh…prepare me for the future." I stammered.

She did not ask many questions, save one. "Do you_ want_ to take it up, Hidetoshi-kun?"

"Well uh… yes. Very much so, I guess." I replied.

"Are you sure? You don't seem too confident, Hidetoshi-kun. Is there something else in your mind?" my mother asked. She was blind, but somehow I had that nagging feeling that her hollow eyes could penetrate the deepest, darkest corner of my soul. I sighed.

"I-I'm just worried about you, mother. How would you manage if I'm not around?" I admitted, my voice almost cracking from the emotion I shared with the lady sitting in front of me.

"You don't have to worry about me, Hidetoshi-kun. No mother in this world would want anything but the best for their children. I am no exception. How do you think I'd feel if I thought that my disability was preventing my only child from embracing his future?" she said with a sad smile on lips. Her left hand searched for mine on the surface of the table, and I extended them, clasping it between both my hands. Gently, she squeezed my fingers with affection; her hand was slightly wrinkled; smooth from the lack of housework after her blindness. It was warm.

"Me and your father; we're truly sorry that you have to struggle so hard through life because of the misfortunes that have befallen the both of us. From what I can understand, this school program of yours would need you to be away from home for a long time, is that correct? But as long as it is something my son wants, I do not want to encumber you from making your own decisions. I have already failed as a mother in many aspects. Let me do something to make it up for you, okay?"

In that moment of time, I was thankful that she was blind; I didn't want her to see the tears cascading down my eyes.

"Don't cry, Hidetoshi-kun," my mother murmured softly, even though she couldn't see me doing so. "I still have dear Suzume-chan and Toshikazu-kun with me here, no?" The young lady whom I had loved as a sister turned around and nodded in acquiescence.

"I'll take care of your mother, Hidetoshi-kun. Just concentrate on your school, alright?" Suzume smiled. As if reading my mind, Toshikazu came beside me and licked my hand in a gesture of affection.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and nodded. We spent the rest of dinner talking about life and school. I did not tell them that I had met my father.

* * *

It was 7pm at night. The last rays of the dying sun had all but disappeared behind the dark clouds that lumbered ominously in the sky. A swell of wind whipped across my face, a symptom of the looming thunderstorm that was about to fall. I started breaking into a run, with my belongings weighing heavily on my shoulders. I did not want to get caught in the rain.

_I'll join SEES on a condition, Mitsuru-senpai. I'm going to get some payment for my services. Shouldn't be too difficult for your family, isn't it? It'd better be good, considering the risks that come with it. I can't lose my life while my mother is blind and my father is still behind bars. That or it's a no go for me, senpai._

The first scattered drops were already falling fast and thin onto the earth. Suddenly, my cellphone rang.

"H…Hello…this is…Hidetoshi…speaking." I panted, drawing in quick gasps of air after the exertions of my run.

_"I'm calling from the Kangoku Prison. May you be the acquaintance of Hiroshi Odagiri who visited the prison just now?"_

"Yes- yes that'll be me. I'm his _son_…"

_"Oh…I see. I'm really, really sorry to tell you this, sir, but your father has just been afflicted with the Apathy Syndrome…"_

_**. . .**  
_

Did you just say_** Apathy...**_

..._**Syndrome?**_

_**. . .  
**_

_"…hello? Hello…are you still there? Sir? Hello…?"_

* * *

It was raining heavily. The loud pattering of the raindrops could be heard on the roof of the Iwatodai dormitory. A fork of lightning flashed menacingly outside the Iwatodai dorm window, followed by a mighty boom of thunder. Several people were watching the television in the lounge.

"…_back to today's report. Police are still examining what has been suspected as a bomb attack in the Iwatodai Strip Mall. Investigations have revealed that there were two people who have been injured, but thankfully there have been no fatalities. I shall hand the mike to our field reporter, Miyuki Ay-"_

"Bomb attack? Are you serious!-?" a teenager with a blue cap exclaimed incredulously.

"Watch." The slightly older redheaded girl pointed at the screen.

"_...this is Miyuki Ayase speaking. Currently I have Officer Kurosawa, a member of the Investigations Department, with me. Officer, what happened to the Iwatodai Strip Mall yesterday?"_

The gruff-looking officer spoke into the microphone that was earnestly shoved in front of his face. He cleared his throat. _"Ahem. According to our investigations…"_

Junpei gaped as the camera panned from the officer towards the debris in front of the mall, which had seemed to have had... a few changes...

"WHAT? You're kidding me, right? The mall didn't look like _this_ yesterday!"

"Well, we added some… _effects_ to simulate a bombing incident." Mitsuru casually replied.

"…_it is believed that the man behind the bombing was none other than lone terrorist Kag-"_

"No friggin' way, Mitsuru-senpai! Do they _seriously_ expect people to buy that? What about those who had been near the mall right after the Dark Hour ended?" Junpei argued.

"Sometimes, during earthquakes, people notice the tremors on the ground, but don't realize that it is happening until someone reports that in the news." Mitsuru explained.

"But still! You can't expect everyone to just-"

"Everything has been settled." Mitsuru concluded coolly.

"But-"

"Trust me. _Everything_ has been settled." Mitsuru repeated with a sly grin. Junpei just leaned his head further back into the headrest of the sofa in exasperation, muttering incoherently.

"_Next up in the news: Popular teen idol "Risette" Kujikawa has taken the stage with yet another single in her new…."_

_THUD. THUD. THUD._

"Who's that?" Mitsuru said sharply when she heard someone banging against the door.

"Huh? Didn't Ikutsuki-san say he would be coming tomorrow and not today?" the ten-year old boy with sandy brown hair quipped inquisitively.

Yukari rose up from her seat. "I'll get the door." she volunteered.

_Creak._

Yukari gasped, cupping her hands over her mouth. "O-Odagiri-san!"

"Woof... woof?" Koromaru barked in surprise.

"H-Hidetoshi-san! Why are you drenched in the rain? Quick come in!" Fuuka cried while walking down the stairway. Ignoring their pleas, the wretched man just stood there with his head bowed while fat droplets of rain splashed loudly onto his saturated uniform. The wind was so strong that some of the raindrops had already begun to patter onto the brown carpet, seeping onto the marble floor. He was crying, but he hid his tears behind the numerous tiny rivulets of water trickling down his face from the rain.

…_Lead your life with your head, but never forget what your heart tells you…_

"Mitsuru...senpai," I croaked to the red-haired girl sitting on the nearest couch. She looked up.

"Yes, Odagiri?"

* * *

"_**I... want to join the SEES."**_

_**

* * *

**_

**END OF CHAPTER 4  
**

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* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

So here are the two new chapters; I tried to come up with a more compelling reason for Hidetoshi to join the SEES, because even though he fancies Hamuko, his beliefs still conflict with the noble "save-the-world" innocence which she has. I mean, he's like at stage 4 of his S-link with her so he doesn't have that "sincerity" understanding thing going on... yet. So here's the reason, and it's quite a sad one in fact. :(

As you probably have noticed, this chapter is entirely Hidetoshi-centric. I apologize if some parts in this chapter and the previous one were really lengthy, but I felt that Hidetoshi's ambitions and beliefs just had to be explained more thoroughly. I did this chapter in a rush, because I have something else to do later. Maybe my description of his parents' thoughts sound quite childish, because personally I'm not a parent yet, so I do not have a "feel" of what they would have said and done. Oh well. I won't be writing for some time because my break is ending soon and I won't return home apart from weekends, but I hope you all could drop me some reviews on your thoughts and what I can improve on when I start my next chapter.

**neko-neko-aishizu **That's actually something which I have been hoping to write about for a looong long time. It'll have to wait though, until I get more chapters up. Shinjiro hasn't even joined the SEES yet (and I'm positively dying to make them meet each other). And we can't have Hidetoshi jumping Hamuko when she's still in hospital, can we? ;) But I have some… ideas… (/evillaugh)_ Poor Hidetoshi…_

**everyone else **Thanks for all the positive reviews so far :D

* * *

**TRIVIA:**

"Kangoku" is actually "prison" in Jap, so technically, Kangoku Prison means "Prison prison". Ah screw it, I can't think of anything else to name it after.


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